Polling concluded on Tuesday in two Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) constituencies where voting had been postponed due to landslides and adverse weather during the second phase of the legislative assembly elections.

Voting was held in LA-27 Muzaffarabad-I (Kutla) and at the remaining polling stations in LA-28 Muzaffarabad-II (Lachhrat) after roads blocked by landslides prevented polling on the scheduled date of August 2.

AJK Election Commission Secretary said polling ended at 5pm and voting hours were not extended.

He said voters already present inside polling station premises by the deadline were allowed to cast their ballots.

LA-27 and LA-28 contests

In LA-27 Muzaffarabad-I (Kutla), 26 candidates contested the seat.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) fielded Noreen Arif, while the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) nominated Sardar Javed Ayub. The Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) was represented by Sardar Tabarak Ali.

The constituency has 197 polling stations and 107,061 registered voters, including 56,809 men and 50,252 women.

In LA-28 Muzaffarabad-II (Lachhrat), polling was held at the remaining polling stations that could not operate on August 2 because of weather-related disruptions.

The constituency comprises 174 polling stations and 99,973 registered voters, including 52,887 men and 47,086 women.

A total of 24 candidates contested the seat, including Chaudhry Shehzad Mahmood of the PML-N, Syed Bazil Naqvi of the PPP and Kausar Taqdees Gillani of the IPP.

Unofficial results

According to unofficial, unverified and provisional results from three polling stations in LA-28 Muzaffarabad-II, PPP candidate Syed Bazil Naqvi was leading with 735 votes, while PML-N candidate Chaudhry Shehzad Mahmood had secured 309 votes.

In LA-27 Muzaffarabad-I, unofficial results from three polling stations showed IPP candidate Sardar Tabarak Ali in the lead with 1,648 votes, followed by PPP’s Sardar Javed Ayub with 315 votes.

The results are preliminary and unofficial, with the Election Commission yet to announce the final outcome.

Three-phase election

The AJK Legislative Assembly elections are being held in three phases due to security considerations.

Polling in the second phase was conducted on Sunday for seven constituencies in the Muzaffarabad division and 12 refugee seats reserved for refugees from Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

The first phase, held in the Mirpur division on July 27, saw the PML-N win nine of the 13 seats, while the PPP secured the remaining four.

The third and final phase of polling is scheduled for August 10, when voters in 11 constituencies of the Poonch division will cast their ballots.